Norman isn’t there.

  None of the others are. Not Jess, not Bay, not Amelie.

  The reality of the situation takes a moment to sink it, but when it does, I see Thatch set his jaw. [Rage] lights up. It feeds off his very real fury. I’ve never really seen Thatch get angry.

  And yet, now, he does. His skin tints a little more red, and I can feel the way his heart beats. It’s loud enough for me to hear, even standing next to him. He clenches his fists, and his nails dig into his palms.

  For the first time, he speaks. “Snow? Can you find my mom for me?” His voice is quiet, measured.

  “I don’t know,” I reply, and he turns to me slowly. Entirely contained, and making sure to fully control each tiny motion. “I don’t think I can find her, not with certainty. But I think I can guess,” I elaborate.

  At that, he nods. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  This time, after all the times Thatch has taken me by my word, it’s my time to listen. Gently, I nod. “Okay. Inu?”

  “Yeah,” the girl says, swallowing heavily. “Let’s look for them.”

  We head out.

  - - -

  The air smells of sweat. Of humanity condensed down to a small space.

  It’s funny. People live far apart here, and it still feels cramped. Like the makeshift walls are pressing in on me. The tents feel more like curtains, hiding things away, than the sanctuaries they should be.

  I hate every moment of it.

  Slowly but surely, I prepare my mana. I’m not wasting any as we walk, letting it gather in my vessel, solidifying a bit more of it. I already have a needle. But I want it to be bigger. So I can properly stab the guy with it.

  Where could the others have gone? There is only really one place, isn’t there? The mayor’s mansion. Maybe he sent a runner to get them. Maybe they decided to head there themselves. It doesn’t really matter.

  We walk there, too.

  No one stops us. Oh, I see some people eyeing us warily, but no one tries to get in our way. Despite the anger, I can tell Thatch is very much so in control of himself. He just walks normally, straight back, loose shoulders. Well. I suppose he looks a little bit ready to tear someone’s head off.

  But not enough to be suspicious, apparently.

  Finally, at the entrance to the mayor’s manor, we’re stopped. The guards stand there, relaxed. “Stop, what’s your business?” they ask as we approach.

  “We’re here to see the mayor,” Inu says with a smile.

  “He’s a bit busy right now,” one of the guards says, scratching the back of her head. “If you could come back later, we-”

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  Thatch takes a deep breath. “It’s urgent,” he says, wringing out a polite smile. He looks the most charming of us, the most trustworthy. I go through the effort of pulling my face into a normal, awkward smile.

  “Yeah. We’re really sorry to bother, but it’s important,” I say.

  “Can you just tell us?” the other guard, an older man with greying hair, says. “Maybe we can help you out.”

  “My friend has a perception skill,” Inu says, poking at Thatch, “and we spotted a horde of goblins heading for the camp. There were also… werewolves?”

  It’s a lie. The guard’s eyes widen, though. “Werewolves?” he asks.

  “Yeah,” she nods. “They had like… lizard tails, and spikes on their backs, a little like dinosaurs?”

  The guard nods. “We’ve heard of them. That is important. Where from?”

  “Down south,” Inu lies, smoothly.

  “Okay,” the woman says. “I’ll check it out. Blake, take them to the mayor?”

  “Fine by me,” he says. “Come along then,” he says, waving us inside.

  Usually, this kind of lie shouldn’t have worked, but… in a community like this? Where everyone was already manipulated to be reliant on the mayor, where they trusted each other, where there was no reason to lie?

  It was a little bit like we were in a cult. They would believe rather outrageous stuff if it came from another member, and the talk of the wulven gave us a little more legitimacy - those were a real threat, after all.

  Slowly, we walk through the mayor’s manor. My mana collects in my vessel, and in the needle in my pocket. It’s not perfect, but I don’t need it to be. I feel my [Selection] grow stronger, the tether between me and the mayor becoming closer.

  Then, we hear them. “Norman, my friend,” the mayor says. “With those skills, you’d make an excellent scout. You should head to the tent for outside missions to bring in more people.”

  “Of course, of course,” Norman’s answer is quiet. “Jess, would you come along-”

  “Oh, pish, posh,” the mayor interrupts, laughing heartily. “Come on, Norman. The sooner you sign on, the more people we can save. You just leave your wife to me, yeah? To get sorted out.”

  Inu frowns. Thatch grows more angry. Bay is in there, too. I wonder what Amelie is up to, then?

  Slowly, we approach the door. The guard knocks, just as Norman opens the door.

  “Oh,” he says, his eyes dull. “Inu? What are you doing here? Did you get sent for?”

  “Goblins attacking,” the guard grunts.

  Inu nods. “Yeah. Thatch saw them. We needa speak to the mayor.”

  “By all means,” Norman says, stepping aside.

  The door opens fully, and we walk into the room. Jessica, Bay and Amelie are lined up. Amelie sits in her wheelchair, and turns to face us. I blink. There’s spiderweb wrapped around her shoulders. She’s… puppeteering herself?

  A moment passes, as the mayor turns to face us, frowning. “What’s this about, then?” he asks. We walk inside, the tension thick. Norman eyes his daughter, seemingly confused. I walk in, feeling the tether to the mayor, learning more about how his skills work as I draw on it.

  The world seems to focus down on this moment. A shiver slowly travels up my neck. I feel watched. Definitely watched.

  Ever so slowly, Thatch steps forward. He’s in perfect control, even as his heart thumps in his chest. The mayor is the first to notice, looking at the other man. Thatch steps in closer. Closer than he really needs to.

  A frown spreads across the mayor’s face. “What are you doing? Tell me what this intrusion is about!” he demands.

  Thatch takes another step. He and the other man stand chest to chest. Thatch is just shorter than the mayor, but it doesn’t matter. He looms over him. Very slowly, he speaks. “That’s my mom,” he says, pointing at Bay. “What were you planning on doing with her?”

  For just a second, the mayor’s eyes widen, then he feigns confusion. “What do you mean, young man? Come now, step back.”

  Another moment passes. Thatch doesn’t obey. The guard twitches, and I [Select] his gun, suppressing its firing mechanism.

  [Rage] explodes, and with a brutal crack, Thatch’s fist slams into the mayor’s face.

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